Latching mechanism.



F. S. MEDART.

LATCHING MECHANISNL APPLICATION FILED ms. 6. 19:5.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

nomurno WASHINGTON, a c.

P. s. MEDART LATC-HING MECHANISM. APPLlCATldN FILED FEB-5,1935.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1,197,524. r PatentedSept. 5,1916,

UNITE STATES PATENT FFHJE.

PHILIPS. MEDART, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO FRED MEDART MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

LATCI-IING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed February 6, 1915. Serial No. 6,407.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP S. MEDART, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latching Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of door fastening mechanisms for sheet-metal lockers and the like, in which a sliding latch bar moving on the door has engagement at remote points with stationary lugs or ears on the door frame, and is manually operated from a point intermediate of such remote points of engagement. And the present improvement has for its object to provide a durable and efficient manually actuated means for moving sliding latch bars of thetype above mentioned, and with which rapid and violent opening and closing of the mechanism as a whole, is prevented, with a consequent avoidance of the annoying noise and jar due to such rapid opening and closing movements, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a perspective view illustrating the present mechanism applied to a triple door sheet metal locker, the doors and the individual locking mechanisms whereof are illustrated in their different positions. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cam yoke detached. Fig. 2, is a similar view of the circular cam disk. Figs. 2 is a similar view of the operating handle. Fig. 2, is a similar view of associated parts of the door and latch bar. Fig. 3, is a detail perspective view of the fixed eye stud of a locker door. Fig. 4, is a detail vertical section of the actuating mechanism, on line mm, Fig. 5. Fig. 5, is a rear elevation of the actuating mechanism, with a portion of the door frame in section. Fig. 6, is a detail perspective view of the sliding latch bar.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the facing or door-frame of a sheet metal locker, and 2 the doors thereof, hinged to said door frame in any usual and suitable manner. The doors 2 are preferably formed with a marginal inturned flange 3, with a View to attain stiffness and lightness in the door and at the same time provide bearing for the sliding latclrbar of the fastening or bolting mechanism, now to be described.

4; designates a latch-bar sliding on the in ner face of the flange 3 at the free edge of a door 2, and held to a'limited vertical movement by headed studs 5, or the like, passing through elongated slots 6, in said latch bar.

7 designates a series of latching-tongues formed in spaced relation in the latch-bar 4, by a series of L shape orifices 8, in said bar, and with the lower and open portion 9 of a size corresponding with that of the hereinafter described fixed lugs or ears of the door frame and adaptedto pass over said lugs or ears in a closing movement of the door.

1O designates the series of fixed lugs or ears, above referred to, secured to the door frame 1, and projecting into a doorway of the locker, as shown. Said lugs or cars 10, have a spaced relation corresponding with that of the latching-tongues 7 above described, and are adapted in the final closing movement of the door 2, to pass through the lower and open portions of the L shaped orifices 8, and into the main portions of said orifices, so that with a downward slidingmovement of the latch bar a, its latchingtongues will pass into locking engagement in front of the fixed lugs or cars 10 of the door frame 1.

11 designates a cam yoke fixedly attached a to the latch-bar l, and disposed in adjacent relation to the inner face of the door 2.

Said cam-yoke 11 is preferably of a rectangular form provided with a bottom web 12, which in turn is provided with an elongated guide orifice 13, as shown.

14 designates an inturned annular rim formed on the door 2 and adapted for guiding engagement in the elongated guide orifice above described, and in addition to constitute a journal bearing for the operating handle of the mechanism now to be described.

15 designates a semi-rotary operating handle, which in the preferred form shown comprises, a main portion or shank or spindle 16, an alined bearing neck 17, hearing in the inturned annular rim 14 of the locker door, and a non-circular terminal portion 18 adapted to carry the eccentric or cam disk hereinafter described. In addition to the parts described, the handle 15, has an angularly disposed outer grip portion 19 the free end of which is preferably formed with an inturned portion having in turn an eye or orifice 20, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

21 designates a fixed outwardly extending stud or lug on the door 2, and having an eye or orifice 22, as shown. Said stud is located in the path of the free end of the semirotary handle 15, and so that with the present locker fastening mechanism in an engaged condition the eyes 20 and 22 of the respective parts will be in adjacent and alined relation, to receive the keeper of a padlock, when such locking provision is desired, and as illustrated to the right in Fig. 1.

23 designates a circular cam disk mounted eccentrically on the above described noncircular terminal portion 18 of the operating handle 15, so as'to turn therewith. Said cam disk is disposed within the cavity of the cam yoke 11 with diametrically opposite portions of its periphery in bearing contact against the respective upper and lower border rails of the cam yoke, and with one or another lateral portions of its periphery in contact with a vertical border rail of said cam yoke, as illustrated more particularly in F ig.-5. As so arranged said vertical border rail will act as a stop to limit the turning movement of said cam disk and its accessories, to ap proximately a one-half turn in either direction. In the preferred form of the present invention the cam disk 23, is of a cup-form,

and is arranged to encompass the inturned annular rim 14 of the door 2, and afford a compact and substantially assemblage of the arts.

With the present construction an ordinary lock 24: can be readily and conveniently used, with its locking bolt adapted to engage over the top of the cam yoke 11, when said pam yoke is in its down and engaged condition, as illustrated to the left in Fig. 1.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a latching mechanism, the combination of a sliding latch bar, a yoke member comprising an orificed bottom web formed with a rectangular marginal flange providing upper and lower bearing rails and vertical end rails, one of Which is formed for attachment to the aforesaid latch bar, a door, an operating spindle journaled in said door, and a circular disk mounted eccentrically on said spindle and having bearing en-- gagement with the upper and lower rails of the yoke member, the vertical end rails being spaced apart to clear said disk in its movement, substantially as set forth.

2. In a latching mechanism, the combination of a sliding latch bar, a yoke member comprising a bottom web formed with an elongated guide orifice and with a rectangular marginal flange providing upper and lower bearing rails and vertical end rails one of which is formed for attachment to the aforesaid latch bar, a door having an inturned circular bearing rim, the periphery of which is adapted for guiding engagement in the guide orifice of the yoke member, an operating spindle having bearing in the bore of said circular rim, and a circular disk mounted eccentrically on said spindle and having bearing engagement with the upper and lower rails of the yoke member, the vertical end rails being spaced apart to clear said disk in its movement, substantially as set forth.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 30th day of January, 1915.

PHILIP S. MEDART.

Witnesses:

A. B. BLUHM, M. C. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

